Vice President JD Vance to visit Minneapolis amid ICE surge
FOX 9 reports that Vice President JD Vance will be in Minneapolis on Thursday for a roundtable with local leaders and community members and to deliver public remarks, according to a FOX News report on his schedule. The White House has not released full details, but the visit is explicitly framed around the ongoing ICE surge in Minnesota, which Vance has strongly backed and publicly defended after ICE officer Jonathan Ross shot and killed Renee Good in south Minneapolis on Jan. 7. At a Jan. 8 White House briefing, Vance claimed Ross acted in self‑defense and argued he could not be prosecuted because of immunity, staking out one of the administration’s hardest lines as lawsuits, protests and local pushback intensify. His Twin Cities stop will come the same day as a scheduled appearance in Toledo and is likely to draw demonstrations and counter‑messaging from city and state officials who have already taken DHS and ICE to court over Operation Metro Surge. On social media, immigrant‑rights groups and local organizers are already treating the visit as a political show of force, circulating plans for protests and demanding that Vance answer for federal tactics on Minneapolis streets rather than just staging a friendly roundtable.
đź“Ś Key Facts
- Vice President JD Vance is scheduled to visit the Twin Cities on Thursday, with a roundtable and public remarks in Minneapolis, per FOX News reporting.
- The visit is explicitly tied to the ongoing ICE surge in Minnesota, which has brought thousands of federal immigration agents into the metro.
- Vance has been a vocal defender of ICE officer Jonathan Ross after the Jan. 7 killing of Renee Good in south Minneapolis, calling the shooting self‑defense and asserting Ross is protected by immunity.
đź“Š Relevant Data
Minnesota has the largest Somali population in the United States, with over 107,000 people identifying as Somali according to 2025 census data, representing about 1.8% of the state's population.
By the numbers: Minnesota's Somali population, according to census data — KTTC
Somali immigrants in Minnesota have higher poverty rates, with 39% of working-age Somalis lacking a high school education, and one in eight children in poverty living in a Somali immigrant home.
Somali Immigrants in Minnesota — Center for Immigration Studies
Claims that 80% of crimes in the Twin Cities are committed by Somalis are inaccurate; actual data shows Somali immigrants do not have particularly high crime rates compared to natives, though some reports suggest overrepresentation in certain fraud cases.
U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer makes wildly inaccurate claim about Somali crime — Minnesota Reformer
Somali Minnesotans generate over $500 million in annual income and contribute approximately $67 million in state and local taxes, with significant business ownership in the community.
Solidarity with our immigrant neighbors — Minnesota Council of Nonprofits
Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota is an ICE operation targeting undocumented Somali immigrants, initiated in December 2025 amid claims of high fraud and crime rates in the community, expanding to greater Minnesota.
Operation Metro Surge — Wikipedia
ICE officers are protected by qualified immunity, not absolute immunity, meaning they can be held accountable if they violate clearly established rights, contrary to claims of absolute protection in shootings.
Do ICE agents have absolute immunity? No, experts say, but it's not that simple — CNN
The Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua has members arrested in Minnesota as part of ICE operations, with activities including drug trafficking and human trafficking, contributing to the rationale for immigration surges.
ICE Continues Arresting Worst of the Worst in Sanctuary Minneapolis — DHS
Per capita crime rates among Somali immigrants in Minnesota are debated, with some sources indicating overrepresentation in fraud but overall crime rates not significantly higher than natives when adjusted for socioeconomic factors like poverty.
Yes, Somali Immigrants Commit More Crime Than Natives — City Journal
đź“° Source Timeline (1)
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